Many people want to be famous and have their faces used in advertisements for everyone to admire or whatever. Even so, one man from New York was polarized on the matter, despite being “recognized” by a worldwide brand– Skechers, nonetheless. The New Yorker was shocked to see that Skechers is now using one of his old photos in their ad, supposedly without his authorization. He is now questioning the legality of such a promotion.
Justin Starling, aka justusraps from New York, is the man in question, and he’s also a rising rapper. Starling’s fan messaged him late November, informing him that his face is all over New York, particularly in a Skechers store. What’s even more concerning is that the photo Skechers used was allegedly Photoshopped, as Starling wasn’t wearing Skechers shoes in the original image.
“I didn’t authorize this… This original photo is from 2021, and they literally Photoshopped the [Nike] Forces out and put some Skechers on it. Like, how am I gonna walk past this? Some homie sent me this, they ain’t cut the check, they ain’t hit me up for the official ad. This is kinda crazy,” explains Starling. Starling thus captioned his video, “Can Skechers do this legally?”, inviting discussions in his clip’s comments.
Starling has uploaded a video update further explaining the original clip where he stated that, “I’m not here to drag Skechers or anyone involved. This seems like it may have been just a misunderstanding. I just think it’s wild how easily someone’s photo can end up online and altered in a major brand’s campaign without that person knowing.” The New York rapper further clarified that he would’ve been open had Skechers reached out.
People online are advising legal action
Starling’s video has since gained much traction, accumulating at least one million views across all his socials and also going viral on other platforms. So it was only a matter of time before critics started pointing to litigation (as usual) as Starling’s rightful reaction. “Lawyer up immediately,” advised one commenter.
However, others got into a debate defending Skechers’ actions because it appears Starling posted his original photo on Facebook and Instagram, “You Probably Unknowingly Authorized This Through Facebook Terms And Conditions.” So far, Starling hasn’t provided additional details on who exactly took the original 2021 photo, which he uploaded on his Instagram account. Still, an alleged photographer chimed in on the discussion, “As a photographer, you just got a bag.”
Regardless, it appears many people are finding the situation rather confounding, especially with how Skechers unapologetically switched the shoes. “Bro this whole situation is crazy fam😭” claims a commenter, with another making fun of Skechers for the rather brazen promotion, “Yeah that’s very sketchy tbh.”
